Joint structure.



J. PRASGH, SR. & S. TRIPP.

JOINT STRUCTURE.

APPLIGATION FILED 113.15, 1913.

1,085,481, Patented .12.11.27, 1914.

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I UNITE STATES PATEN T OFFRE.

JOSEPH rRAscH, sii., AND SOLOMON TRIPP, or roar MADISON, IOWA.

JOINT STRUCTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 27, 1914:.

T0 all fio/0m t may concern Be it known that we, JOSEPH PRAsCH, Sr., andSOLOMON Trurr, citizens of the United States, residing at Fort Madison,in the county of Lee and State of Iowa, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Joint Structures, of which the following is aspecication.

This invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements injoints and has particular' application to gaskets for effecting fluidtight joints between two connected elements.

In carrying out the present invention, it is our purpose to provide agasket whereby a Huid tight joint between two connected parts such, forinstance, as pipe sections or the like will be produced and by means ofwhich the joint will be reinforced or strengthened.v

It is also our purpose to provide a gasket for effecting fluid tightjoints which will embrace the desired features of simplicity, efficiencyand durability coupled with cheapness of cost in manufacture andmarketing and which may be readily applied to the parts to be joined orconnected.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forthin and falling within the scope of the claim.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure l is a vertical transverse centralsectional view through the upper portion of a pair of locomotivecylinder saddles and a connected exhaust pipe illustrating theapplication of our invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the gasket orjoint ring detached. Fig. 3 is an enlargedV transverse sectional viewtherethrough. Fig. l is a detail perspective view of a modified form ofgasket or joint ring. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a furthermodified form of gasket, parts being broken away.

In the present instance, our invention is illustrated as applied inconnection with a locomotive exhaust pipe 1 having a detachable tip ornozzle 2 appropriately connected to the upper end thereof. This exhaustpipe may be of any approvedV or well known type and is herein shownconventionally.

The numeral 3 indicates cylinder saddles or an equivalent bed plate, onwhich the smoke box 4 of the locomotive is supported and with whichcommunicates the exhaust pipe 1 by way of exhaust steam passages 5 boredin the saddles or bed plate, the eX- haust steam from the locomotiveengine cylinders passing through the exhaust steam passages and exhaustpipe to the atmosphere. In practice, as a rule, the joint between theexhaust pipe l and the saddles or bed plate is effected either bydirectly seating the respective end of the exhaust pipe upon the saddlesat the exhaust openings therein, or by interposing between theconfronting portions of the saddles and exhaust pipe a packing ring ofsquared cross sectional configuration. In either event, the joint isinefficient, unreliable and Open to many other objections. For instance,when a packing ring or gasket, square in cross section, is interposedbetween the exhaust pipe and the bed plate, the oint is comparativelyweak and the ring, under the action of the intense heat, owing to thesteam passing through the communicating passages to the atmosphere,caused to expand and, when the engine is shut down, to contract incidentto cooling, thereby rendering the ring or gasket useless after arelatively short period of time. In order to remedy these and many otherdifficulties inherent in joints subjected to heat, and at the same timeform a fluid tight joint between the connectedv parts, 'we form in theconfronting edges, faces or parts of the elements to be joined grooves6, 6 alining with each other and interposed between such groovedportions is a gasket or packing ring 7 which may be constructed of metalor some other suitable substance or material and is formed of two stripsof material 8, S intersecting one another at right angles and forming,in the accompanying illustration, a horizontal web and a Vertical webintegrally connected. The portions of the vertical web at the oppositesides of the horizontal web are disposed within the alining groove 6, 6formed in the confronting portions of the `connected elements, whilejthe horizontal web is interposed between the adjacent portions of theelements. It will be seen that the vertical vweb is relatively wide ascompared with the width of the horizontal web and seats within thegrooves in such manner as to reinforce the parts at the joint and at thesame time cooperates with the horizontal web to form a fluid tight jointwhich remains practically unaffected by the action of' heat andconsequently is non-expansible.

A modified form of gasket or packing ring is shown in Fig. t and in thiscase the packing ring or gasket is composed of two separable sections orwebs originally in the form of strips, one end of the relatively wideweb having a slot 9 formed therein, While the narrow web is slotted fromone end to a point immediately adjacent to the other end, the materialat the closed end lying within the slot 9 formed in the relatively wideweb. Subsequent to assembling the webs in gasket formation, in themanner which is obvious, the metal or other substance forming thesections or webs is bent in some suitable manner int-o ring or otherform and the ends welded or otherwise appropriately secured together. Inthis instance, the gaskets or rings constructed in accordance with ourinvention are provided with central bridges l0 so as to accommodate thepartition dividing the passages in the saddles.

In FiO. 5 of the drawing, we have shown a further modified form ofgasket or packing ring and in this instance, the gasket is cast incircular form so as to accommodate the meeting ends of pipes or conduitsof similar contour.

While we have herein shown and described certain preferred forms of ourinvention by way of illust-ration, and set out one particular manner ofemploying the same, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit orconfine ourselves to the exact details of construction herein describedand delineated, or to the particular application of the invention hereinshown, as modification and variation may be made within the scope of theclaim and without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the.invention employed wherever it is desired to join or connect twoelements or parts.

We claim:

In combinatiomtwo elements to be joined, having grooves formed in theconfronting faces thereof, a gasket or packing ring interposed betweenthe confronting portions of such elements and composed of intersectinvweb members, one lof said web members being relatively wide as comparedwith the width of the other and disposed within the grooves of saidelements, and coperating with the other web member to form a fluidt-ight joint and whereby the vparts to be joined are reinforced at thepoint of connection.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH PRASCH, SR.

SOLOMON TRIPP.

Witnesses:

:Guss GRAHAM, W. H. GUNN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

